This invention relates to physical therapy and more particularly to the rehabilitation of the group of muscles that co-ordinate and give strength to the movement of the forearms, hands and fingers. The methods and device of this invention are for use in medical therapy, preferably after training by a therapist.
The human musco-skeletal arrangement with its connective tissues and tendons on many occasions is benefited by a regular program of exercise. Broken bones usually require that the affected site be immobilized until the fracture has united, after which muscle atrophy and joint stiffness will be found. Physiotherapy is of great help in the mobilization of the stiffened limb, but active movements and active muscle contractions by the patient are usually the ultimate key to success.
In addition the connective tissue between the muscle and bones are subject to numerous type diseases that may ultimately destroy the usefulness and movement of the appendages, and in particular the appendages of the fingers and hands. Such diseases are typically identified as an arthritis, and are used to describe the conditions arising from involvement of the joints and their immediate surrounding structures by disease. The most usual symptoms of the diseases are the stiffness and aching that accompany the movement of any affected joint. In some cases rest for the individually involved joint is necessary, and in some cases it is best for the joint to be kept as straight as possible, not flexed or bent. To such ends resting splints have been devised particularly for the fingers, hands, and wrists to be worn at night. Rest of the affected joint does not mean immobilization. In order to prevent loss of muscle power and to avoid crippling joint deformity, rest must be accomplished by an active, prescribed exercise program. Such programs once demonstrated to the patient may then be carried on in a home environment. For a patient with a degenerative arthritis condition, physiotherapy, local heat, massages, and supervised exercise enable a patient to carry on for many months in moderate comfort.
Where prescribed by a medical therapist, the application of heat is one of the most effective measures for temporary relief of aches and pains of affected muscle and connective joints and also aids muscles to relax, making exercises more effective. Heat therapy is of several types--dry heat, wet heat, and use of counter irritants (as recommended). Dry heat may be applied by filament lamps, bakers, hot water bottles, electric pads or paraffin baths. Wet heat is applied by hot water, hot fomentations, and contrast baths. Counter irritants usually consist of various liniments and ointments containing irritant substances which, when applied to the skin, cause a reflex dilation of blood vessels, producing a local feeling of warmth.
Other diseases that are seemingly helped by exercises are Charco Marie Tooth, Scleroderma and Sclerosis, particularly where they affect the hands.
Prior art devices especially used for the exercise of the hands are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,827 granted to Williams and Great Britain patent 206,592 dated 12-86 to Gree. The patents generally disclose the prior art devices to be ball-like in nature and usually made from a rubber material or other mechanical arrangement that is compressible in one direction as they are gripped by the hand. Gree specifically points out that "there is generally no provision for accommodating with a single hand exerciser all of the movements associated with the parts of the anatomy in question. It is a universally acknowledged fact in physiotherapy that neuromuscular progress is dependent on the ability to stimulate muscles from different angles with use of different exercises and training principles."
The devices shown in the above described patents seem to contact the fingers in a line or point contact mode and do not provide an overall or continuous environment of resistance against which the fingers, hands and other co-ordinating muscles may work in an efficient manner.